28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



' Systeraa Naturae,' which gave the outlines of his method of 

 classifying natural objects, and is of especial interest as containing 

 his artificial " sexual system " of plants based upon the number and 

 position of the reproductive organs of the flower. Prom this 

 time onward he devoted himself more particularly to the study of 

 plants, so that all his larger subsequent works were mainly or 

 entirely botanical. The ' Systema IVaturse ' was followed, within 

 a year, by the ' Fuudamenta Botanica,' in which the principles of 

 botanical science are clearly and concisely laid down. The year 

 1737 was marked by the issue, first, of the ' Critica Botanica,' 

 authoritatively stating rules of nomenclature ; and, secondly, of 

 the 'Genera Plantarum," in which those rules are applied to the 

 generic names of plants. In the following year appeared the 

 ' Classes Plantarum,' in which an account is given of all the 

 systems of classification from Ctesalpinus onwards, both tlie earlier 

 and the Linnean generic names being included, together with a 

 fragment of a natural system. In 1751 the ' Philosophica 

 Botanica ' was published as an expansion of the ' Pundamenta,' a 

 work which, as Pulteney says, " must be considered as the 

 institutions of the Linnean system of botany," or indeed of any 

 system of botany Mhatsoever. Pinally, in 1753, appeared the 

 ' Species Plantarum,' the crowning work of the series, in which 

 definite specific names were for the first time assigned to plants. 

 Thus it was that Botany was provided with a precise descriptive 

 language .- with generic names based upon fixed characters ; with 

 specific names in the place of involved descriptions ; and with a 

 system that facilitated the determination of any given plant : 

 changes that have been fitly designated the " Eeformation " of the 

 science. 



A few words must be devoted to the discussion of the relation 

 of Linnaeus to the development of the natural system of classi- 

 fication. It has been thought, it is sometimes thought even now, 

 that the " sexual system " was devised by Linnseus as an alternative 

 to the " natural system " ; that he was, as it were, the apostle of 

 artificial classification. Nothing could be fiu-ther from his 

 intention. Not only did he himself elaborate a fragment of the 

 natural system, but he expressed over and over again, and in 

 the clearest language, his conviction that the end and object of 

 every genuine botanist should be to contribute to the elucidation 

 of such a system based upon a recognition of the true affinities of 

 plants. " Let those who can," he says, " amend, extend, and perfect 

 this system, but let those who are unequal to the task desist from 

 attempting it : those who succeed are distinguished botanists " 

 (' Classes Plantarum,' p. 487). 



Excellent as were the intentions of Linnasus, there can, however, 

 be no doubt that the enthusiastic acceptance of his artificial 

 system tended rather to impede than to stimulate the pursuit of 

 the natural system. Without any fault of Ids, the scaffolding 

 that he had found it necessary to erect was taken to be the edifice 

 itself. That this was so is demonstrated by the historical fact 



